Our ancestors believed that the disease does not come "just like that." A disease is the intrigues of evil spirits, or rather, fever sisters (fevers) that infiltrate a person.
The etymology of the word "fever" is very interesting. She is from "to please", that is, to act. Accordingly, feverish women were not passive spirits, they attacked themselves. (How else? According to legends, the sisters sit in deep caves, chained there. To break free and fly "into the world", you need to free yourself at least).
At different times and in different regions, the number of females varied (from three to ninety-nine). But twelve are most often mentioned: Shaking, Ogneya, Ledeya, Gneteya, Breast, Deaf, Lome (Bone breaker), Pooh, Yellow, Korkush (Korchei), Look, Neve.
Nevea was considered the eldest, most dangerous sister. Even in the cave, she was chained not to a rock, but to a stone throne. The introduction of Nevea into a person always ended with his death.
However, in some provinces, any ailment was called a fever, without dividing by name or "diagnosis." In some places the sisters merged into one - Kumokha, which "takes people in twelve manners." Here is a clear reference to the twelve fevers.
Gradually, Kumoha joined the others. She is still a fever, but no longer a "sister", but a "aunt" to the rest. It is she who, according to legends, unleashes them from their chains and says exactly who to torture.
Curiously, after the adoption of Christianity, feverish women did not disappear. People quickly found a suitable hypostasis for them. Now it was believed that fevers were the daughters of King Herod, cursed for the death of John the Baptist. The peasants said that when Herod's daughters came to the grave of the executed saint, the earth opened up and swallowed them up. Since then, the sisters have served Satan by fulfilling his orders.
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According to another version, neither earth nor hell accepts the damned sisters. So they are forced to wander, torturing people.
According to another version, the fever is the daughter of Cain ("shaking like Cain") (here again we see one fever).
In other provinces, feral women were considered the daughters of King Solomon, whom he cursed for lack of piety. And in Transbaikalia, they believed that any woman could become a fever if her parents cursed her.
Demic ("Essays on Russian Traditional Medicine") is even worse. Brothers join the sisters there. Moreover, "each and every one of them can have three hundred or more lovers." By "lovers" the sick were meant. That is, Twelve sisters plus twelve brothers, multiply by three … An interesting definition of an epidemic.
Of course, people did not sit and did not tolerate. Likhomants were driven out in different ways, often very cruel.